Watford head coach Gracia unsure if goalkeeper Gomes will retire after FA Cup final

Watford head coach Gracia unsure if goalkeeper Gomes will retire after FA Cup final

Watford head coach Javi Gracia insists he does not know if goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes will retire after the FA Cup final.

The 38-year-old had looked set to hang up his gloves after the clash with Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday.

Gomes – who said in March he was “99 percent sure” he would retire this summer – is expected to start the final having been Gracia’s preferred goalkeeper throughout the competition, deputising for Premier League first-choice Ben Foster.

Ben Foster has been Watford’s number one in the Premier League (Nigel French/PA)

Although Gracia would not be drawn on who will be picked to keep out the likes of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, and Bernardo Silva, he said that if Gomes does play it would not necessarily be his farewell appearance for the Hornets.

“First of all, I don’t know if it will be the last game,” he said when asked about whether Gomes would keep his place.

“I would like to speak with him and the club and see if he is able to carry on next season, we have to speak about that.

“We will see, the keeper on Saturday, I don’t like to speak about it.

“I only focus on the game and try to choose the best keeper for the game, after that we will see what happens in the future.”

Gracia conceded he has already selected his side for just the second FA Cup final in Watford’s history – but admits there could be late changes if a player is particularly impressive in training over the next few days.

“Yes, I have decided,” he said of his starting XI.

“Always you can change something but when you prepare the game, I was thinking about it many days ago, and I think about how it is better to defend, better to attack and the players who are better to do that.

“At the end, you can change because I have different options, I want them all to play the final but that is not possible.”

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